Sports Briefs: Nov. 14

The Los Angeles Marathon, previously contested the first Sunday in March, will move to Memorial Day beginning next year.

L.A. Marathon president Russ Pillar also announced Thursday the return of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. as the event's presenting sponsor, and Acura as the L.A. Bike Tour's title sponsor.

As a condition of their acquisition of the marathon and related assets six weeks ago, race organizers agreed with the city to move the marathon to President's Day in February. But after extensive conversations with runners, travel and tourism experts, city officials and others, Memorial Day was chosen because it offered the best opportunity for success.

baseball

D'Backs end contract talks with Johnson

Randy Johnson filed for free agency after failing to reach a contract agreement to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 45-year-old lefty is five victories shy of 300 and "hopes to find a team where he can continue to pitch at a high level and contribute to another world championship," agents Barry Meister and Alan Nero said in a statement.

Johnson made $16 million last year and went 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He struck out 173 and walked 44.

Johnson is a five-time Cy Young winner. He won the NL Cy Young from 1999 to 2002 with Arizona.

Gregg was 7-8 with 29 saves and a 3.41 ERA in 72 relief appearances for the Marlins last season, holding batters to a .203 average.

What Gregg's role will be with the Cubs is unclear. Closer Kerry Wood is a free agent, and Chicago already has a top setup reliever in Carlos Marmol.

Swisher traded from White Sox to Yankees: The New York Yankees started their offseason makeover by acquiring Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox.

Swisher, who can play first base and all three outfield spots, was obtained for pitching prospect Jeff Marquez and infielder Wilson Betemit. The teams also swapped a pair of minor league right-handers as part of the deal, with Chicago receiving Jhonny Nunez and New York getting Kaneoka Texeira.

Swisher, who turns 28 on Nov. 25, hit just .219 with 24 homers and 69 RBIs last season.

Gardenhire gets two-year extension from Twins: The Minnesota Twins have signed manager Ron Gardenhire to a two-year contract extension through the 2011 season.

Despite trading ace Johan Santana, the Twins went 88-75 and nearly made the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central title.

Davydenko's defense and relentless groundstrokes were the difference, turning an expected tight match into a rout. He broke Del Potro's serve four times in eight chances.

"I played so good," Davydenko said. "I feel great."

Earlier, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a meaningless match. Djokovic had already been assured of a spot in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament, while Tsonga had been eliminated.

Roger Federer, a four-time Masters Cup champion, will advance if he wins today against Andy Murray of Britain. Murray is 2-0 in the Red Group and guaranteed a spot in the semifinals.

Gilles Simon of France still has a chance if Federer falters. He will play 26th-ranked Radek Stepanek, who replaced Andy Roddick when the American withdrew Wednesday with a sprained ankle.

Simon got into the elite field when Nadal withdrew before the tournament began with a sore knee. Simon defeated Federer in his first match.

golf

Ochoa shoots 73 in hometown tournament

Lorena Ochoa struggled in the first round in her own Lorena Ochoa Invitational, shooting a 1-over 73 on her home course at Guadalajara, Mexico, to drop five strokes behind Annika Sorenstam and the other leaders.

Lam leads Singapore Open: Lam Chih Bing upstaged the big names to take a first-round lead at the Singapore Open in a bid to become the first local player to win the tournament.

Lam birdied three of the final four holes to finish with a 4-under 67 and the clubhouse lead over Australia's Marcus Both (68) in an opening round delayed by lightning.

boxing

Holyfield to meet Valuev for WBA title

Evander Holyfield is getting another chance at a heavyweight title.

The 46-year-old former champion will challenge 7-foot Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for the WBA crown on Dec. 20 at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, arena management said.

Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) hasn't fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov more than a year ago. Holyfield is winless in his last four title fights since beating John Ruiz for the vacant WBA belt in October 2000.

soccer

Maradona denies rumors about resigning

Diego Maradona will remain Argentina coach after denying speculation that he planned to resign because of a dispute over his assistants with his boss.

"I'm still the coach. There's been no changes, no resignations, nothing," Maradona told journalists in Mar del Plata, where he was visiting the Argentina tennis team preparing for next week's Davis Cup final against Spain.